Thursday, March 17, 2016

Favorite love triangle, I feel like that's almost an oxymoron because they cause me so much sadness and stress. However, there still is that sadistic part of me that loves them. I'm a notorious second male lead advocate, so love triangles usually end in heartbreaks for me. The love triangle that I chose as my favorite I chose for a number of different reasons, not the least of these that end there was very little heartbreak and no hard feelings (that doesn't mean that there wasn't major emotional struggle along the way). So without further ad I'm pleased to announce my favorite love triangle is between Yeol, Yeon Doo, and Ha Joon in Cheer Up! aka Sassy Go Go played by Lee Won Geun, Jung Eun Ji, and Ji Soo respectively.

So this is the 3rd time Cheer Up! has shown up during this challenge. Considering the number of dramas I've seen, this should be seen as a testament to what a great drama it is. If you haven't watched it yet, you should go do so! And maybe also stop reading because I'm going to drop some spoilers.Also a testament to how brilliant I find the story telling is the ridiculous number of memes I've devoted solely to this love triangle.

There are so many great things about this love triangle that I don't even know where to start. Okay, let's start with our leads. From within a few minutes of this drama, I was convinced that Yeon Doo and Yeol were meant for one another. Their chemistry was off-the-charts and they were completely adorable together. Better yet, they actually brought out the best in one another. I had never been so certain before that two characters were soulmates. I figured there would be no conceivable second male lead that the writers could come up with that would make me waiver even the slightest. But then cam Ha Joon.

While I was vigilantly watching out for a potential second male lead in Yeon Doo's best friend and was wary over the introduction of someone new who might fancy her, the writers snuck in a second male lead right under my nose. In the beginning of the drama, you are lead to believe that Ha Joon is nothing other than Yeol's best friend. He's got a temper and he's cold and he's nowhere near the realm of romantic interest. But then you learn a little about his past and start to sympathize with him and then BAM! all of a sudden you realize he has feelings for Yeon Doo and there he is as a tortured but tender second male lead.

Typically at least one of the potential romantic interests is a jerk so you can justify not liking them, but in this case neither was. They both cared a lot for Yeon Doo and that was what made this love triangle so tortuous. Yeol and Yeon Doo had fireworks, that was obvious. But Yeon Doo was the first one to break through Ha Joon's hard outer shell and make him enjoy life.

Yeol made his affection a little more obvious, openly flirting with Yeon Doo - he couldn't hide the fact that he was smitten, nor did he want to. Ha Joon, knowing his friend's feelings, tried to keep his own feelings hidden. But when Yeon Doo needed someone to defend or rescue her, Ha Joon was always the first to step up. It became pretty obvious to Yeol that his friend seemed to be scoping on his girl.

The scene that got me the most was when Yeon Doo goes missing. She's walking down the dark road in the middle of the woods late at night all alone and she's scared. It's Ha Joon who finds a bike and takes off searching for her. He's the first to find her and upon seeing him she looks at him as a savior, so relieved to see him. She grabs onto him and he holds her as she cries and he cries a bit too out of relief that she's okay. A lot of second male leads have a tendency to be pushy with their affection but Ha Joon isn't. She held onto him first and he holds and comforts her.

In the end, I stood behind Yeol and Yeon Doo as my OTP. You couldn't deny their fireworks or the fact that Yeol had an absolutely amazing track record when it came to taking care of those he cared about. Most importantly it was obvious that Yeon Doo was head over heels for Yeol as well. Ha Joon needed Yeon Doo to get him to open up to the world, but he had a lot of emotional trauma that he needed to confront before he was ready for romance. Even though it's painful for him to watch Yeon Doo and Yeol at first, he's grateful for the experience of liking Yeon Doo. Even though he does confess, he doesn't expect her to reciprocate his feelings. His life was changed from just being able to have the opportunity to like Yeon Doo and I think that's adorable.

So we end with Ha Joon on good terms with both Yeol and Yeon Doo. He's happy for them and harbors no bitter feelings. The three of them are still good friends along with the entire cheer team. I have never seen a love triangle resolved so amicably and I'm so thankful for it because this was one that I don't think I could have emotionally handled to see go south. Personally, I am really amazed at how the writers managed to create such a powerfully emotional love triangle that made me feel all the feels and yet end it without any collateral damage. If anything, the love triangle only helped them in their growth.

So for the millionth time, Cheer Up! is an adorable drama and Yeol, Yeon Doo, and Ha Joon provide the fodder for the best Kdrama love triangle of all team. What do you guys think? Did you love this triangle? Anyone out there that couldn't stand it or thought Ha Joon should have gotten the girl?